Nocturnal Music in the Land of Sufis : Unheard Pakistan,
[A5] Hardback with Dustjacket - 350 page,
by Jurgen Wasim Frembgen,
Translated into English by Jane Ripken,
Published by Oxford University Press.
Description :
In '
Nocturnal Music in the Land of the Sufis' Jürgen Wasim Frembgen takes the reader along on his fascinating mystical journeys into the musical worlds of Pakistan. In dense description he tells about his personal experiences and emotions while participating in ecstatic nights of music (
qawwali / sama) at Sufi shrines.
In his ethnographic narrative he unfolds authentic cultural contexts and life worlds in which music is deeply embedded, tracing how music is perceived and 'tasted' by listeners. He himself listens with all his senses, above all with the 'ear of the heart', to sounds which seem to remove the veils between man and God. Thus, he experiences spirituality and discovers the enormous power of music in the land of the Sufis.
Review :
"In five brisk and vivid "ethnographic reports", accompanied by brilliant photographs (and expertly translated by Jane Ripken), Frembgen brings the reader into the very heart of contemporary Sufism in Pakistan."
---Eric Ormsby, The TLS.
Jürgen Wasim Frembgen is Chief Curator of the Oriental Department at the Museum of Ethnology in Munich as well as Privatdozent (Private Lecturer) in Islamic Studies at the University of Munich. Since 1981 he has been teaching anthropology and Islamic Studies at different universities in Germany. He has more than a hundred English and German language publications to his credit. With Oxford University Press he has published
The Friends of God-Sufi Saints in Islam : Popular Poster Art from Pakistan (2006);
Journey to God : Sufis and Dervishes in Islam (2008); and
At the Shrine of the Red Sufi:
Five Days and Nights on Pilgrimage in Pakistan (2011).
He has written extensively on cultures of the Eastern Muslim world between Iran and India, focusing particularly on Pakistan. Many of his books and articles deal with Islam, Sufi tradition, veneration of Muslim saints, art and material culture, the anthropology of the body, social outsiders and facets of popular culture.
Table of Contents :
---Publisher's Acknowledgement.
---Chapter [1]. Nights of Music in the Wilderness,
------Journey to the Salt Range,
------The evening before the celebration,
------The festival at the shrine of Imam Gul.
---Chapter [2]. The Music Rooms of Lahore,
------My musical initiation,
------Enemies of music,
------The schools of the masters,
------Ashfaq's archive.
---Chapter [3]. Trance Rhythms at the Shrine of Shah Jamal,
------Mystic fragrance,
------Clash of Social Behaviours,
------Dhol Beats and Trance Dance.
---Chapter [4]. With Sufi Brothers on Pilgrimage to Baba Farid,
------Journey to Pakpattan,
------The gate of Paradise,
------At the shrine of Baba Farid,
------Private concert in a back courtyard,
------Farewell to Pakpattan.
---Chapter [5]. Voices of the fakirs at the King's Court,
------Village life,
------At the shrine of Shah Latif,
------A mystical nocturnal concert,
------Morning mood.
---Epilogue,
---Listening Recommendations,
---Glossary,
---Index.
Also see,
Journey to God : Sufi's and Dervishes by Jurgen Wasim Frembgen.
